Press Release – Wednesday 26 October 2016

Cliffe FC awarded £15,000 thanks to Emergency Football Relief Fund grant

Grassroots sport in Cliffe, Selby is set to benefit from a major cash injection following the news that Cliffe FC have been awarded a grant of £15,004 from the Emergency Football Relief Fund – a scheme delivered by the Football Foundation that awarded grants to football facilities damaged as a result of storm Desmond.

In the case of Cliffe FC, the storm caused severe damage to their Oxen Lane home, rendering the pitch unplayable for 6 months, and leaving the club without a home ground for half of the 2015/16 season, and the local community without a playing field.

The grant will enable Cliffe FC to vastly improve their drainage system at Oxen Lane to secure future use of both the pitch for the football club, and the field for the community as a whole.

Up to £750,000 was made available by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England to rebuild and repair grassroots football pitches and facilities that suffered storm damage and flooding, to enable football to continue across the affected regions as quickly as possible. This Emergency Fund was available for grassroots football clubs across all levels of The FA National League System (Step 1 to Step 7) that required assistance to make facilities safe and fit for purpose again.

Malcolm Bryce, Cliffe FC secretary, said: “We are delighted to receive a grant from the Emergency Football Relief Fund. It’s been tough seeing the field in a sorry state it was in last season, and I’m glad the hard work from both the football club committee and Cliffe Playing Field Association can continue due to this grant award.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Congratulations should go to Cliffe FC for securing this Emergency Football Relief Fund grant.

“Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded 155 grants worth nearly £10m across East Riding, towards grassroots sports projects worth over £44m, with money generously provided by our funders: the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England.”